Internal-combustion engine



June '15 1926.

R. LAUGHLIN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 16 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 15 1926. 1,588,755 R. LAUGHLIN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 16, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 15, 1926.

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ROBERT LAUGHLIN, O1? BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO COMMERCIAL ELECTRO- LY'IIC CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. "$5., .63. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed June 16, 1919. Serial No. 304,385.

This invention relates in general to internal combustion engines and has for its object broadly the provision of an engine of this character operating under such improved conditions by reason of the construction and arrangement of its parts that fuels in character more staple and of lower specific gravity than those at present used may be efliciently and satisfactorily employed.

The invention has for a principal purpose the provision of an efficient, satisfactory engine for automobiles and the like, using kerosene and mixtures of the various benzines', kerosenes and gasolines, and using also the distillate commonly identified in the oil and petroleum industry as Tops. It will of course be understood that, engines can bodying my present invention are usable in any and every'connection and with any desired form of apparatus, equipment or vehicle.

Another and highly important object of theinvention is the provision of an internal combustionengine in which gasoline, keroeerie and other fuels, having widely different characteristics, may be used and this without requiring the replacement o1;"reconstruction of any of the engine parts, without requiring any rearranging or reassembling thereof, and also without requiring complicated readjustment.

. A still further object of the invention is the provision of an engine of this character and having these qua-lities and this without radical alteration of the construction and. arrangement of the parts of the engines now in use. i

A still further important object of the invention is the provision of an engine of this character whichmay be provided by merely adding certain devices, and slight rearrangement and construction of others.

Another object of the invention is the production of certain improvements in internal combustion engines of value when these engines are used with the usual gasoline fuel.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as itis better undertoodfrom the foregoing dea ptien when considered. in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings Figure l is aside elevation ofan engine embodying my present invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a similar view taken from the opposite side; I

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the intake manifold;

Fig. 4 is a detail diagrannnatic view of the generator control; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged partial section show.- ing in detail the construction of the means provided to introduce water vapor intothe combustible mixture. L

For the purpose of illustrating'myinvention I have shown on the drawing an internal combustion automobile engine of the sixcylinder, valve in the head type. Considering Figs. 1 and 2 'of the drawing it will be noted that the siX cylinders are grouped in two sets of three each, each set being indicated by reference.character 11. Reference characters 12 indicate the valve operating mechanism. Reference character 13'the fan pulley. Reference character 14: the engine shaft. Reference character 15 the crank oasing.- Reference character 16 the intake manifold. Reference character 17 the eX- haust manifold and reference character 18 the carburetor.

Since my present invention does not require the special construction of these parts and of other engine parts, they need not be described or shown on the drawing in detail.

My invention contemplates the heating to a relatively high temperature of a combustible mixture, and preferably also the introduction of a desired percent or amount of water vapor into the air and fuel ito'forma part of said mixture, both the temperature and the amount of water vapor being automatically controlled under running conditions, and being also arranged, for manual control in starting and under other unusual circumstances.

Y Iwill first describe the means for introducing water vaporas a part of the combustible mixture. Th ordiaar airjiatake 21 of the carbuijetei is connected by a pipe or conduit casing shown in detail in Fig. 5. This casing is disposed about the exhaust conduit 17 and preferably close to the exhaust manifold. This casing or jacket 23 embraces the exhaust conduit 17 and is of appropriate size and shape to provide an internal heating chamber 24 about the conduit 17. One end of the jacket is closed as indicated at 25 and the other end is provided with air inlet openings 26. However, it will be manifest that these openings may be otherwise arranged. A spray nozzle 27 extends in through the casing or jacket 23 at 28 and this nozzle is adapted under a control, to be presently described, to spray water on to or about the portion of the exhaust conduit 17 enclosed within the jacket. The nozzle consists of a nozzle tube 29 through which extends a needle valve 31 and a water delivery conduit 32 communicates with the interior of the nozzle as indicated on the drawing. This conduit may receive Water from any suitable source of supply (not shown). The needle valve is operated by threaded plug 33 screwed into the rear end of the nozzle, this plug being in turn moved angularly by a laterally extending arm or handle 34.

It is intended that under normal running conditions the amount of water delivered into the confined heating space 24 will vary with the engine requirements and to this end I have connected the arm 34 for automatic operation with the arm 35 or dina-rily provided to manipulate the gas in let valve of the carbureter, the arrangement being such that opening of the carbureter valve or throttle is accompanied by a corresponding opening of the nozzle. The connection withthis valve arm 35 is in the present instance through a link composed of two members 36 and 37 having telescoping sockets 38 and 39 within which is located a spring 41.

When the engine is first started and the exhaust pipe or conduit is cold it is readily apparent that little or no water should be delivered from the nozzle 21 and to delay this delivery of water until desired conditions are established I have provided a lever 42, suitably pivoted at 43 and having an end 44 adapted for projection across the path of the arm 34 to prevent its movement toward open position. The lever 42 is controlled by a link 45, a bell crank 46, and link or rod 47 from the interior of the automobile, it being intended that this lever will be moved to operative position when the engine is stopped and remain in this position to prevent opening of the needle valve until after the engine has been started again and run a-sufficient time to provide the necessary heating of the exhaust ipe or conduit 11.

A mixture of air anc water vapor is thus formed in the space 24 and is taken therefrom into the carbureter to be mixed with the fuel to form the combustible mixture It will be apparent that when desired the lever 42 may be left in position to prevent the introduction of any water vapor should such water vapor be found undesirable with a particular fuel.

The heating of the combustible mixture is effected as will now be described. A seetional conduit or pipe is preferably introduced between the carbureter and the manifold 16 for delivering the mixture to the several cylinders. This conduit or pipe may merely replace the ordinary connection between the carbureter and intake manifold. As shown on the drawing, it consists of two flanged sections 51 and 52 insulated from each other by an insulating medium 53 and from the manifold and carbureter respectively by insulating mediums 54 and 55. Each of these sections in the present instance constitutes an electric terminal, wires 56 and 57 are connected thereto respectively at 58 and 59. A plurality or series of heating coils or units 61 are arranged within this intake conduit and in positions for direct contact with the explosive mixture. Each is hooked at one end in suitably provided openings or recesses 62 in the end of the section 52 disposed adjacent the carbureter and at the other end in recesses ('33 similarly arranged in the more remote end of the section 51. The gasket 53 is extended inwardly of the inner faces of the conduit sections a suflicient distance to space the body of the coils away from contact with the inner faces of the conduit sections.

here a fuel of relatively staple character, such as kerosene, is employed it is intended that these coils shall be heated substantially to incandescence or at least to a relatively very high heat, and that this heat shall be maintained as high as is practicable throughout the operation of the engine. It is of course apparent that as the engine speed increases more heat is necessarily added to these coils if their high temperature is to be substantially maintained, and to this end I have provided a variable source of current supply which delivers the current as the engine speed increases.

Referring to Fig. 4 reference character 71 indicates an electric generator differing only with the generator usually employed in an automobile engine in that it is somewhat larger, i. e. of somewhat higher capacity. In connection with it I provide a governor 72 suitably geared to the generator shaft and adapted to operate a bell crank 7 3 suitably pivoted at 74 and having a pin and slot connection 75 with a slide 76 for varying the capacity of the generator in any of the well-known fashions, as for example, varying the field strength. It will be noted that the arrangement is such that as the engine speeds up the motor intensity (field strength) is increased and a greater amount of current is caused to pass through the heat ing units. I provide alsofor a manual con trol of the generator conditions operable for determining the minimum current to be delivered from the, generator. This manual control comprises a lever 7 7 suitably pivoted at 78 and having anend or arm 79 for con trolling the actionof the governor when the engine speed falls below a predetermined rate. The lever 77 is connected by a link 81 with a bell crank 82 suitably pivoted at 83, which in turn is connected with a manually operated rod 84.

It will thus be manifest that both the amount of heat to the combustible mixture and the amount of water in this mixture may be accurately controlled as engine condi tions may require, and that the combustible mixture in coming in direct contact with the heating units may be heated to high temperature. It is desirable that during this heating the mixture be stirred or at least prevented from moving with its particles in parallel rectilinear lines to insure even and complete heating and to this end and to the further end of insuring a completely or nearly homogeneous mixture I provide for the spiraling o-r baffling in a mild degree of the mixture while passing through the sections 51 and 52. This may be simply and effectively accomplished by inclining the coils as indicated in Fig. 8. That is to say the ends of the coils are not secured at the ends of ths longitudinal elements of the cylinder formed by the section. An end of a coil is preferably hooked in a recess out of line With the recess engaging its other end by a distance of one, two or more recesses counting around the inside of the conduit.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing without further description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts described, that it is immaterial what exact type of internal combustion be equipped in accordance with my invention, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing its ma terial advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim 1. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, means for carbureting fuel, means for conducting the fuel after carburetion to a combustion chamber heating elements directly in contact with the carbureted fuel, and means supplying heat to said heating elements in amount variable with the speed of the engine and increasing as said speed increases.

2. An internal combustion engine, comi V L f prising in comb nation means for carbureting the fuel, means conducting the fuel after carburetion to a combustion" chamber and separate combined heating and mixing means located in said conducting means.

An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination a carburetor, a manifold, a conduit interposed between said carburetor and manifold, and separate spirally arranged heating elements in said conduit for heating and spiralling the mixture.

4:. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, a carburetor, and means acting in conjunction therewith for producing a highly heated combustible mixture of fuel, air and water vapor, and separately controllable means for manually and automatically varying the heat supplied to said mixture in accordance with running conditions.

5. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, a carburetor, and means acting in conjuction therewith for producing a highly heated combustible mixture of fuel, air and water vapor, means for varying the heat supplied said mixture in accordance with running conditions, and an independent manual control for said means.

6. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, means for producing a combustible mixture, means for highly heating said mixture, and means for automatically varying the heat supplied to said mixture in accordance with the engine speed, and a manually manipulative control for said last mentioned means.

7. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, an intake conduit and a plurality of angularly arranged heating coils extending in general longitudinal direction therein.

8. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, an intake conduit and a plurality of heating coils arranged angularly andextending in the general direction of the longitudinal axis of said con" duit and disposed about its inner surface.

9. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, an intake conduit composed of sections, means insulating said sections, and heating coils connected at their ends to different sections and extending in general longitudinal direction therein.

10. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, means including a valve and an operating connection therefor, for introducing water vapor into a combustible mixture, and means projectable across the path of said connection for locking said first mentioned means out of action.

11. An internal combustion engine, com prising in combination, a carburetor having an air intake valve, means for introducing water vapor into the air taken into said;

carbureter and connected with said valve, and operable by movement of the valve to vary the amount of Water in said air, and means for obstructing the operation of said means even though the valve be operated, thus preventing the introduction of Water Vapor into the mixture.

12. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination, electrical heating elements for heating a carbureted combustible mixture, a generator for supplying current to said elements, and means actuated by governor means for varying the capacity of the generator in accordance with changes of speed of the engine.

13. An internal combustion engine, comprising in combination electrical heating elements for heating acarbureted combustible mixture, a generator for supplying current to said elements, and governing means for varying the amount of current supplied said heating element by said generator in accordance with the changes of the speed of the engine.

ROBERT LAUGHLIN. 

